Multimedia: Symposium tackles national debate around the concept of borders

March 29, 2011

Photo by Stephen Hird/Reuters

Undergraduate Campus

The national debate sparked by Wikileaks will come to campus in April, during the 49th Annual International Affairs Symposium. The three-day event exploring the theme of international borders will bring together Daniel Ellsberg, the man who released the Pentagon Papers, and Pentagon spokesperson David Lapan for a debate about information transparency and national security.

In the following video, members of the symposium steering committee—Jake Owens ’11, Stella Gilliland ’11, and Owen Conly ’14—discuss this year’s symposium and some of the questions that will be raised during the Ellsberg-Lapan debate.

2011 symposium schedule

The 2011 International Affairs Symposium theme is “Lines in the Sand: The Ebb and Flow of Borders, Power, and Information.” Comprised of six events, the symposium will offer an exciting, informative, and dynamic series of discussions around issues such as foreign aid, international media, and transnational crime. All events are free and open to the public.

“Signing Away Sovereignty? The Dilemma of Human Rights and National Autonomy”

Featuring Aidan Hehir, a senior lecturer in international relations and program director of the Security and International Relations Program at the University of Westminster, and Elana Berger, a research associate with the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect. April 4, 3 p.m. Templeton Campus Center, Council Chambers

“State Secrets and Public Prerogative: Does Information Transparency Compromise National Security?”

Featuring Colonel David Lapan, deputy assistant secretary of defense for media operations at the Pentagon, and Daniel Ellsberg, senior fellow of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and the man behind the release of the Pentagon Papers. April 4, 7:30 p.m. Agnes Flanagan Chapel

“Gimme Shelter: Evaluating the Impact of Refugees on Host States”

Featuring Sokhom Tauch, executive director of the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization, and Keith Beardsley, partner at True North Public Affairs, an organization that groups implement public policy within the Canadian government. April 5, 3:30 p.m. Templeton Campus Center, Council Chambers

“Does Foreign Aid Work? The Dichotomy of Development and Dependence”

Featuring Neal Keny-Guyer, chief executive officer of Mercy Corps, and James Shikwati, president of the Inter Region Economic Network (IREN), a think tank dedicated to promoting sustainable African development and economic analysis of government policy. April 5, 7 p.m. Templeton Campus Center, Council Chambers

“Lights, Camera, Politics: Debating the Power of News Media in Today’s Foreign Policy”

“How to Deal: Is Legalization Effective for Combating Transnational Crime?”

Featuring Steven B. Duke, professor of law at Yale, and Antonio Maria Costa, executive director of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime. April 6, 7 p.m. Templeton Campus Center, Council Chambers

About the International Affairs Symposium

The oldest student-run symposium in the country, the International Affairs Symposium at Lewis & Clark has hosted world-renowned intellectuals, professionals, and politicians from around the globe for almost 50 years. The focus of the symposium is controversy, emphasizing confrontation of opposing views on topics that reflect global interests and concerns.